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Ex-Chelsea coach slams English youth system

The English academy system is failing the national team, says a Dutch youth expert.

"Steve McClaren is the victim of a ridiculous system," said Ruud Kaiser, Chelsea's former youth team manager, to the Guardian. "The top English players should be at the top English clubs but when the top clubs go to the smaller clubs for those players they are too expensive so they look abroad where they are cheaper.

"In Holland there is a pyramid system whereby the big clubs - Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord - pay affordable compensation to the lesser clubs for the promising talents and then provide the best development. Even if they are sold abroad at 20, like Ryan Babel, Marco van Basten [the Holland coach] has no shortage of top-class players to choose from."